Explore the Family Name Zaia

The meaning of Zaia

1. Italian (northeastern): possibly a metonymic occupational name from saia ‘kind of cloth’ or from the dialect word zaia ‘wicker basket’. 2. Italian (Sicily): variant of Saia. 3. Assyrian/Chaldean: from a variant of the male personal name Zaya.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Zaia in the United States?

According to the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Zaia saw an increase in popularity from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, it was ranked 58,257 and increased its rank to 50,960 by 2010, a change of approximately 12.53%. The number of individuals with the surname Zaia also grew during this period, with a count of 326 in 2000 to 409 in 2010, marking a 25.46% increase. The proportion of this surname per 100k people increased by 16.67%, moving from 0.12 in 2000 to 0.14 in 2010.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#58,257	#50,960	12.53%
Count	326	409	25.46%
Proportion per 100k	0.12	0.14	16.67%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Zaia

In terms of ethnicity, based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, there has been a significant shift in the makeup of those with the surname Zaia. The percentage identifying as White saw an increase from 84.36% in 2000 to 92.42% in 2010, a change of 9.55%. Those identifying as having two or more ethnic identities decreased significantly from 10.12% in 2000 to 2.93% in 2010, a decrease of 71.05%. The percentage identifying as Hispanic saw a considerable rise from 2.45% in 2000 to 4.16% in 2010, an increase of 69.80%. However, no individuals were identified as Asian/Pacific Islander, Black or American Indian and Alaskan Native in either 2000 or 2010.

	2000	2010	Change
White	84.36%	92.42%	9.55%
Hispanic	2.45%	4.16%	69.8%
Two or More Races	10.12%	2.93%	-71.05%
Asian/Pacific Islander	2.76%	0%	0%
Black	0%	0%	0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0%	0%